"Grim, stripped-bare techno, razor-sharp synth-pop, and snarling electro-punk...It's terrifically conceived and even more terrifically crafted, the sort of record so perfect in its own aims that parsing out influences or agendas seems a fool's game. These tracks, this duo, this entity that is Adult.: they're a great and interesting thing, this nation's best inducers of head-banging, high-speed driving, amazed chuckles, and giddy bedroom shout." Pitchfork

"What's surprising about the wonky synth lines and smiting, deadpan vocals on their excellent return to the studio, The Way Things Fall, is very fresh and how of-the-moment they sound, like something you might hear at a fog-machine-filled cold wave party today, only with an emphasis on clarity of form, instead of hazy subterfuge." FADER

"Electronic elements with a sharper punk edge...it’s a living, breathing concoction of analog instrumentation and electronic aesthetic, with a minimal diffidence that pushes and pulls." BULLETT

The Way Things Fall Tracklisting /

01. Heartbreak02. Idle (Second Thoughts)03. Tonight, We Fall04. New Frustration05. Love Lies06. At The End Of It All07. Nothing Lasts08. A Day Like Forever09. We Will Rest10. Rise & Fall

“ …full of charming, winsome (but not too winsome) indiepop that will appeal to fans of Camera Obscura and The Rosebuds.”– BrooklynVegan

Click Image Above To Watch Radiation City at Austin's Cathedral of Junk

Radiation City just released their highly anticipated sophomore studio album, Animals In The Median, via Tender Loving Empire. Effortlessly blending vintage soul with modern electronic sounds, the album has already received critical acclaim from VICE’s Noisey, Rolling Stone, MAGNET & many more.

The Portland quintet recently teamed up with GoPro to create a spectacular live video shot at Austin’s famed Cathedral of Junk. Vince Hanneman, the self-proclaimed “Junk King,” sets the scene as Radiation City plays two live songs from Animals In The Median: “Lark” and “Foreign Bodies.” Check out the enchanting live video HERE. We encourage you to post & share!

Radiation City is now back on the road on a national US tour, bringing their spellbinding live show to over25 cities across the country! The dream pop band has shared stages with Pickwick, Caveman, YACHT, The Walkmen, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and more. Be sure to catch the band’s entrancing live show on tour!

"Rock 'n' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen" -- From Led Zeppelin to The Rolling Stones, Elvis to Madonna, Bob Dylan to Bob Marley, John Lennon to Johnny Rotten, the world's foremost rock 'n' roll photographer, Bob Gruen, has captured half a century of music through the eye of a lens. In this landmark documentary, Grammy(R) award-winning filmmaker Don Letts explores Bob's life and work as he opens up his amazing archive on television for the very first time. Featuring interviews with Bob's friends Yoko Ono, Iggy Pop, Green Day, Alice Cooper, Tommy Ramone, Debbie Harry and many more.

Bob Gruen, John Lennon's personal photographer and chronicler of the New York City music scene. Gruen's recent book, "Rock Seen" (Abrams Books, 2011) spans the past 40+ years and contains more than 500 classic photographs -- from iconic images of John Lennon (wearing the NYC t-shirt and making a peace sign in front of the Statue of Liberty) and Led Zeppelin posed in front of their airplane to the punk scene at Max's Kansas City and CBGB's including Blondie, Patti Smith, David Bowie, The Clash, The Ramones and many more.

Bradley emotes with a powerful sense of anguish that at times cuts you to the core. – NPR All Things Considered

The Screaming Eagle of Soul Charles Bradley has announced summer tour dates, with stops at a number of major festivals including Lollapalooza, FYF Fest and Bumbershoot. Bradley recently wrapped an extensive North American spring tour in support of new album Victim of Love (out now on Dunham/Daptone), and headlined the famed Apollo Theater where the Village Voice noted that the set was "a bottomless display of artistry, gratitude and boundless enthusiasm." See the full tour routing below.

In addition to bringing his soul stirring, hip-shaking, crowd-pleasing live performances to stages across North America and the world, Bradley just released a new track from Victim of Love. In "You Put The Flame on It," he sings "My life is gold – you put the flame on it," backed by a horn chart that sounds like it was lifted from a lost Four Tops single. Hear the track here: https://soundcloud.com/daptone-records/charles-bradley-you-put-the

By now, Bradleys remarkable, against-all-odds rise has been well-documented – how he transcended a bleak life on the streets and struggled through a series of ill-fitting jobs – most famously as a James Brown impersonator at Brooklyn clubs – before finally being discovered by Daptone's Gabriel Roth. The year following the release of No Time For Dreaming saw one triumph after another and Victim of Love sees Bradley emerging from his past heartaches stronger and more confident, overflowing with love to share. See the just-released behind the scenes of Victim of Love video here: http://youtu.be/Z9Ho87TiPX0.

Mr. Bradley, once again wailing against the convincing grit of the Menahan Street Band, sounds bolstered by all the touring he has done over the last two years. - New York Times

Artists worldwide can submit t-shirt designs to the Flaming Lips challenge for a chance to win $5,000 and more.

Warner Bros. Records is joining forces with Threadless, the community-driven design company, to produce band merchandise created by independent artists for some of the label's most popular musical artists. In an ongoing collaboration between the two brands, Threadless will host design challenges for Warner Bros. talent, inviting the global Threadless artist community of 2.5 million members to design and vote on t-shirts and other products inspired by the music of each artist.

"This partnership with Warner Bros. is an incredible opportunity for the artists on Threadless," said Threadless Founder and CEO Jake Nickell. "Music is a powerful source of inspiration, and we're honored to be working with a label that has supported great music for so many years. This ongoing partnership will help to further Threadless' goal of providing independent artists with new and creative outlets for their art, while providing musical artists on Warner Bros. Records with some incredible artwork for their merchandise."

The initial design challenge for this new partnership, launched May 13, features The Flaming Lips, a band famous for their commitment to creative innovation and ultra-extravagant live performances. "The Flaming Lips are the perfect band to kick off this partnership," said Nickell. "Their eclectic, arty image and fearless creativity fit perfectly with the Threadless community's aesthetic diversity. We expect to receive some of the craziest, most whacked out submissions we've ever seen!"

Submissions to the challenge will be open from May 13 to June 3 at threadless.com/theflaminglips. Fans can continue to vote on which designs should be made into t-shirts through June 10. One grand prize winner will receive $5,000 cash, a $500 Threadless gift certificate, 2 tickets to an upcoming North American Flaming Lips show, the Record Store Day exclusive release of Zaireeka 4-LP vinyl box set, a signed CD copy of The Terror, and a double-LP vinyl copy of The Terror. Other top designs will also be sold on Threadless.com and beyond.

The winning design won't be chosen until voting closes on June 10, but customers can pre-order the winning tee now at threadless.com/theflaminglips/presale. From now until June 30, 2013, $10 from the sale of each tee will go to the American Red Cross to benefit those most affected by the Oklahoma tornado of May 20, 2013.

The Grammy award-winning Lips are touring the world now in support of their 13th studio album, The Terror, released on April 16. As always, THE LIPS continue to command critical accolades:

"The Flaming Lips have been on one of the most remarkable creative streaks of any band, let alone a band that's been-this is their 30th anniversary, they started in 1983. They are at the peak of their creative career right now at a point when other bands long ago would have hung it up. This band is amazing and they continue to impress just when I think they can't impress anymore." - NPR.Org

Team Spirit will be playing a show at The Echo this Friday, May 31st in support of UK buzzband Peace. The Brooklyn rock band, fronted by former Passion Pit member Ayad Al Adhamy, just wrapped up select dates with The Joy Formidable and are now touring across the US in support of their self-titled debut EP, which came out this April on VICE Records / Warner Bros. Records. Check out the band's new video for "Jesus He's Alright," here. If you're interested in coming out, or can help cover the show in some capacity, do let me know. Album downloads are available upon request.

"Brooklyn's TeamSpirit offer up a component that few of their compatriots are wiling to exude: pure grime." -Consequence Of Sound

"TeamSpirit is Hellbent on making all current British guitar rock bands sound like unfit wankers." - The Boston Phoenix

5/28/2013

Filmmaker Examines The Legend of Zelda

and Its Cultural Influence In New Documentary

Players of the Legend of Zelda games have grown up to become creatives, and evidence of their lasting admiration of the series is often found in their work. Beyond the Veil Productions announces: It's Dangerous To Go Alone...The Movie, which will look at the impact the series has had on the arts, culture, and entertainment of the last 25 years.

Sarasota filmmaker, Joe Granato has launched a Kickstarter campaign for "It's Dangerous To Go Alone...The Movie," a documentary that will examine the ubiquity and cultural influence of one of Nintendo's most iconic franchises, The Legend of Zelda. Through its own adventure story narrative, the film will explore the works of a generation of artists whose first impetus for creativity was found while saving Zelda's fantasy world of Hyrule.

Keeping true to the spirit of the series, the filmmaker has announced that one method of distribution for the film will be in game form. On the project's Kickstarter, a video shows an early draft of a unique adventure game being played on an iPad. The evolution of this will become a full game where a player will navigate a fantastic world in search of segments of the documentary, bonus material, and behind the scenes footage. For those looking for a more linear method of viewing, traditional distribution is also planned.

The film's website, http://www.TheZeldaMovie.com, is also a homage to the 8-bit era of gaming and the original NES Zelda game. The site's method of navigation is its own pixelated adventure, which features some of the film's interviewees as NPC helpers. By beating the web game, the player is rewarded with a two-minute look at coverage of the Symphony of the Goddesses (a four movement symphony based on Zelda music) concert in Miami, FL.

5/27/2013

Alessi's Ark returns to the USA this week. She has a new album THE STILL LIFE
which came out in April. After a UK tour and some festivals Alessi graces the US
stages for the first time since Fall 2011. The reviews have been great and this year we
should be seeing the ARK more often. West Coast and East Coast dates are below.

"Some tunes race down psychedelic superhighways, while others come throbbing like jock jams from some alien stadium. At this point, calling it “garage rock” feels like a disservice." - Washington Post

“Floating Coffin demonstrates the group at their most refreshed, inspired and accomplished.” - Exclaim

BIO

We all know the type: Prolific bands who commit every loose thought, stray idea and 90-second song fragment to tape. Bands who pay no attention to little inconveniences like "release cycles" or "self-editing," and instead decide that quantity equals quality, creating a discography more labyrinthine, imposing and – ultimately – exhausting than the cast of creatures in a sci-fi novel.

Here is why none of that applies to Thee Oh Sees. Because each of the dozen-plus albums they've released since 2004 are possess a distinct personality and represents a different point along the path of John Dwyer's slow transformation from auteur of woozy bare-bones four-track psychedelia to goggle-eyed garage rock marauder backed at long last by a band that both shares and stokes his singular vision. Because drop a needle on any record and – to their great credit – it takes several songs before you're convinced it's Thee Oh Sees. The seasick hundred-bottles-of-rum shanty "What the Driven Drink," from 2007's delirious Sucks Blood exists in a different galaxy than the rollercoastering "Chem-Farmer" from last year's Carrion Crawler/The Dream; the doomy doo-wop of "Blood on the Deck" hardly seems like the product of the same band who delivered the yelping "Ruby Go Home" in 2009. And the band who made last year's engrossing Putrifiers II seems like a distant cousin to the band delivering Floating Coffin -- arguably the most varied and textured Oh Sees record to date.

"These songs occur in the mindset of a world that's perpetually war-ridden," Dwyer explains. "Overall, it's pretty dark, and much heavier than our other albums." You can hear that sense of foreboding in "Toe Cutter – Thumb Buster," which churns and sloshes like an ocean of ink, Dwyer's ghostly falsetto an eerie contrast with the song's sub-basement groove. "That one's a song about war," Dwyer explains, "It's like people take less notice of those horrors anymore. Dark goings-on are so ever present that they can just wash over you every day."

Chalk some of the band's cunning chameleonic ability to Dwyer's 20-year resume. The driving force behind such beloved and sonically disparate bands as Coachwhips and Pink and Brown, Dwyer's increased fidelity to Thee Oh Sees and only Thee Oh Sees is evidence of a newfound sense of purpose and focus. Where once Dwyer used to funnel his divergent artistic ideas through a host of different channels, lately he's been finding ways to make all of those impulses function within the framework of Thee Oh Sees -- who have in turn grown closer and tighter and sharper with each eye-popping, jaw-dropping live show. As Dwyer puts it: "The family that plays together stays together."

That sense of unity is palpable throughout Floating Coffin. "Strawberries 1 + 2" is a blinding flash of sound, the band first locking tight into a frenetic, palpitating rhythm then downshifting suddenly into a loose, hypnotic drone. "I could have made the second half of this song last for hours," Dwyer says. "This is another song that's wary of the outside world, about humans staring down technology." "Tunnel Time" opens with a short-circuiting synth sound before diving into haywire blast-furnace punk rock made more manic by Dwyer's split-second hollers and howls. The skeleton waltz of "Minotaur," which opens with Dwyer sighing, "Oil slick in my dinner," gradually gives way to a distinct sense of optimism. "That one's relatively less ominous," Dwyer explains. "It's about dream-hunting – being the person you feel you were meant to be." That sense of release is summed up in a single lyric, which shows up just after a squad of swooping strings provides an impromptu serenade: "Stay home today – go to the beach instead."

It's moments like those that underscore just how unique this band is – each new layer of their persona that's revealed only hints at the thousands that still remain. Floating Coffin is the next chapter in the story of Thee Oh Sees, the one where they fix their fury against the onrushing night. It's another blistering demonstration of Thee Oh Sees greatest trick: they're the only prolific band who doesn't put out records often enough.

This month, Detroit-based synth duo ADULT. released The Way Things Fall, their exceptional fifth record on Ghostly International. They just released a video for "Idle (Second Thoughts)," directed by ADULT.'s own Nicola Kuperus and featuring costume designs by Detroit-based designer / performance artist Levon Millross. Up now on XLR8R, they write, "as a tune, 'Idle (Second Thoughts)' sounds much more sparse, mature, and darker than anything the already-sombre outfit had released before going on hiatus in 2007, and the accompanying clip takes the 'dark' theme in the most literal direction it can."

On the new record, FADER write, "what's surprising about the wonky synth lines and smiting, deadpan vocals on their excellent return to the studio, The Way Things Fall, is very fresh and how of-the-moment they sound, like something you might hear at a fog-machine-filled cold wave party today, only with an emphasis on clarity of form, instead of hazy subterfuge." XLR8R recently covered their history as artists with a vast, exploratory interview feature on their previous records, describing it as "a body of work that's unconventional in the way it consistently defies expectation."

The duo will play a series of dates this summer, beginning with a set at Detroit's Movement Festival this weekend, with all dates listed below.

"Grim, stripped-bare techno, razor-sharp synth-pop, and snarling electro-punk...It's terrifically conceived and even more terrifically crafted, the sort of record so perfect in its own aims that parsing out influences or agendas seems a fool's game. These tracks, this duo, this entity that is Adult.: they're a great and interesting thing, this nation's best inducers of head-banging, high-speed driving, amazed chuckles, and giddy bedroom shout." Pitchfork

"What's surprising about the wonky synth lines and smiting, deadpan vocals on their excellent return to the studio, The Way Things Fall, is very fresh and how of-the-moment they sound, like something you might hear at a fog-machine-filled cold wave party today, only with an emphasis on clarity of form, instead of hazy subterfuge." FADER

"Electronic elements with a sharper punk edge...it’s a living, breathing concoction of analog instrumentation and electronic aesthetic, with a minimal diffidence that pushes and pulls." BULLETT

The Way Things Fall Tracklisting /

01. Heartbreak02. Idle (Second Thoughts)03. Tonight, We Fall04. New Frustration05. Love Lies06. At The End Of It All07. Nothing Lasts08. A Day Like Forever09. We Will Rest10. Rise & Fall

5/23/2013

The band will be performing their song "Walking in Your Footsteps" from their recently released, critically-acclaimed album Opticaon Merge Records.

Watch the music video for "Walking in Your Footsteps"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaLfFSwAIq0********** "Particularly in its first half, Optica plays like a marvelous '80s mixtape, albeit one with modern production values and a good deal of subtlety. The references aren't all pop, either - the album-opening "Sugar" sounds like 's Robert Smith stepping in to lead The Smiths - but the results, in all their sweet and sunny glory, invariably chime and shine."- NPR Music"Optica is a testament to the songwriting acumen of frontman Adam Olenius and the band's ability to translate the core sound of their favorite Cure and Smiths songs into something grand and modern." - The Onion AV Club

"Bigger, richer, and more fun than its predecessor, Optica drips with hyperactive lyrics, icy synths, and string arrangements..." - Under The Radar

About Us

The Portable Infinite is an online music and arts magazine based in Los Angeles. We are a collective of independent artists supporting and promoting other cutting edge independent musicians and artists.
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